Violent Attacks Against Cabbies.

Early last Saturday morning, 16th June, a 58 year old taxi driver was attacked by his passenger brandishing a weapon. He was viciously slashed and when he tried to retaliate, his attacker struck again. The cabbie suffered deep cuts and damaged nerves on his left arm which needed surgery. This was an unprovoked attack and the assailant did not rob or even tried to take his valuables. No one has been arrested yet.
In an earlier incident, on 8th June, a 48 year old taxi driver was beaten unconscious by his passenger simply because he drove a "lousy" car. This attacker, a 30 year Korean was arrested and police investigation is still on ongoing.
These recent violent attacks on taxi drivers clearly shows cabbies' vulnerability, with the cabbie sitting in front with his seat belts properly fastened (its the law) it is futile to even try to retaliate against aggressors who attacks from behind, worst of all with hidden deadly weapons.
Well, still thinking of taking up a taxi vocational licence and become a taxi driver? It is scary isn't it after reading what happened to the two unfortunate cabbies. Yes, it is a dangerous job, very unpredictable, afterall, who knows who or what your passengers can do to you even without any provocations simply because they are from the "cuckoo's nest".
Taxi driving is also about knowing a bit of psychology, must be tactful, alert always and some ability to judge 'body language' as well as through simple dialogue. Overall appearance is not always a safe guide. Through experiences all these years plying my trade, I must admit I am lucky not to have encountered 'psychotic or mad' passengers.

Private Eyes.

Taxi drivers are always working closely with Police authorities. We have been assisting Police in reporting passengers who were last seen at locations suspected for loan shark harassment, their appearances, suspicious behaviors and also the things they were carrying, such as markers, super glue, paint cans, etc. We will also report short stops requested by passengers at many different locations for short period of time, for they may be suspects intending to do mischief. There are instances when we are also alerted by Police to keep an eye for suspected theft of motor vehicles or help locate wanted criminals and report their whereabouts. The information that we provide has in a way helped authorities to apprehend wanted criminals as well as prevent mischief being carried out.

I have been called upon to assist in locating a stolen vehicle once and also to help spot a thief wearing a coloured cap and wearing a black T-shirt also once in my career, but I have been unable to help. Sometimes it can be quite fun and interesting acting like detectives on the prowl whilst at work.

Ordinary and quiet workdays.

The past two days were very ordinary workdays for me, nothing much of any interest to report, no unusual happenings and business was quite slow. This weekend starting tomorrow will definitely be a turn-around and I know its going to be very busy when everyone take their weekend breaks for rest and recreational activities and I am eagerly looking forward to engaging my commuters who will be lively and in vibrant mood after having gone through unending, tiring and mundane working weekdays.

Meanwhile, life goes on and as the popular saying goes "No news is good news". My taxi this morning went for its monthly servicing and minor repairs, replacement of spare parts at the Company's motor workshop and its going to be very smooth driving usually after the overall checkups, its like driving a new vehicle at least for the next few days.

Slowing Down The 'Tempo'.

Carried away by fatigue and refusing to accept one's limitations, is probably the only reason why I was not able to begin writing blogs and taking such a long time to start one. Sleep and plentiful of rest is what I need to recuperate from being lethargic and getting lazy.

It is also true that after going through the hectic and fast paced final weeks of last year and the start of a new one including the Chinese new year celebrations and now the colourful Chingay attractions have really brought on unsuspecting tiredness. Relentless hard working days and enjoyment has taken its toll.

I have to slow down the speedy momentum of my lifestyle for the time being and recognise the needs to stay healthy and relaxed. As it is, presently having so many unhealthy bodily ailments and still dreaming, thinking that they are only imaginations and continuing to get on in life as if it was the same as yesteryears can be a bad dream.

Time truly flies and I have to start work soon.

Bright and Busy Days Ahead.

Three more days to go and it will be 2012, 'Dragons' are already swarming the Chinatown area even before the Chinese Lunar New Year arrives.

Last couple of weeks and the coming January month, this particular period of the end and the beginning of old and new years is packed with endless human activities imaginable, everyday and everywhere. Taxis during this time are enjoying full usage and very much in demand, so much so, complaints about the recent fare increases are hardly heard nor discussed. Yes, I have not engaged in talks about the recent Fare Hikes lately and it looks like it has already died down, which is good.

Full steam ahead for us Taxi Drivers and it is truly going to be a Happy New Year 2012.

Taxi Drivers Need More Protection.

The Year of the Dragon is just around the corner and so, what new adventures do you think the Dragon will have in store for us in 2012? Hopefully not a repetition of continuous rainfall, floodings, breakdowns, Violent Attacks on Taxi Drivers, bombings, senseless killings of innocents and etc like yesteryear. As for Fare Hikes, I can safely say that it will take another four or five years before something 'new' comes up again.

On Christmas Eve, a 47 year old Taxi Driver was bashed on the head with a wine bottle by one of two passengers when they claimed that the Taxi Driver took a longer route. This violent behaviour is uncalled for, anyway, police investigations are still ongoing.

In another recent case, on Dec. 16, a Taxi was stolen right in front of a crowded coffee shop at Lorong 29 in Geylang. The thief managed to jump into the taxi and drive off in it when the woman Taxi Driver decided to stop for a few minutes to have a cup of coffee. She left her taxi with the engine still running and was hardly 10m away, all this while, her eyes were on her cab but when she was paying for her drink and not looking, her taxi disappeared. Till today, her taxi has still not been found.

The Authorities should mete out tougher punishments against Violent Taxi bullies to safeguard the livehoods of Taxi Drivers. There are many recent attacks on Taxi Drivers, with many more unreported ones, but these Violent Taxi Attacks and Abuses must not be taken lightly. I can imagine Taxi Drivers taking matters into their own hands by equiping themselves with unlikely 'tools' in future for self-protection and may even 'retaliate' when provoked.
These are serious thoughts.

'OT' For Taxi Drivers.

When train services are disrupted like what happened last Thursday, taxis become the most sought after alternative public transport service. When this sudden need for them occurs at the same time, great difficulties will be experienced by the general public in trying to secure its services. There will be long queues of anxious commuters everywhere, all waiting to catch a cab at the same time, and this inevitably give rise to anger and frustrations when vacant taxis don't seem to exist and the rest are either fully occupied or showing 'On Call' signs. Its times like this when taxi drivers work overtime to earn extra income by ferrying commuters non-stop. This type of unforeseen disruptions are extremely rare.
Of course, we Taxi Drivers regret such train breakdowns and disruptions which can be chaotic and cause great difficulties and hardship to commuters but it has also ironically benefited us in terms of an increase in our income through a greater demand for taxis.  

Conversationalist.

Driving a taxi for more than ten years has made me become a natural or maybe even an 'expert' in starting and engaging in conversations with my passengers or for that matter with almost anyone and anywhere. Making my passengers laugh, creating a happy and friendly atmosphere in my 'office', at least once in one way or another, is an interest in which I look forward to create each new day at work.
Everyday, I look forward to listening to all kinds of stories, happy and sad events, learn about new and exciting happenings, about working life, family life, love and romance and each individuals woes and aspirations in life. Its always a learning experience to know something new which I sometimes never thought existed.
Let me put it this way, its like going to school, attending different classes in lessons from unknown lectures from the 'University of Life'. So you see, my particular vocation in the service line is truly exhilarating, beneficial and satisfying for me. Who would have thought being a Taxi Operator is more than just a simple driver or a mere service provider.

Making Friends.

Where in the world can you find a job, that gives you the opportunity to meet up, get to know and also to engage in conversations with people, total strangers, from all over the world especially when your country's Tourism Board keeps up their relentless drive to attract more and more tourists each day.
Yes, the Taxi Driver gets to welcome and make first hand contact with the tourists as soon as they arrive in Singapore. I must say, I am most fortunate to be one such cabby.
Today, after driving for more than ten years, I get a chance to engage in conversation with this pretty and charming young lady from Bolivia, when I ferried her from Hyatt Hotel in Scotts Road to Changi Airport Terminal Two. I have 'travelled' with people of different nationalities, from all walks of life and from so many countries such as Finland, Russia, Poland, Zimbabwe, Turkey, Nepal, Mongolia, Spain, Morroco, Ireland, Jamaica, Chile, Dubai, Mexico, Belgium to name a few, together with many others from more familiar Western countries and nearly all Asian countries as well. So you see, this job of mine gives me the opportunity to get to know, learn and find out what people all over the world are like, even if it is only knowing them in such a short period of time. For instance, I have learnt that in Bolivia, people have at least four names, the first two names belong to them and the last two, their father's and mother's. This is of course quite unique to me. Miss P.A.F.T. (initials only), I hope it is correct, told me her name and it sounded very nice. I also told her, it must be quite a hassle each time she has to fill in her long, long name into small columns in forms that require her to state her full name.
Wow! I continue to keep learning things which I am totally unaware of. It is truly a pleasure and delight to be able to chat and befriend people from all over the world. I am happy and proud to be a cabbie.

To catch a cab.

When I don't stop my taxi after being flagged by potential commuters along the roadsides, most often than not, I will be shown the 'fist', or the 'third finger' or even get spat at.
The reason why I don't stop is firstly because, my taxi is already been hired and commuters are not aware and cannot see clearly as I drive past them.
Secondly, I may have the 'On Call' sign or other relevant signs such as 'Changing Shift', 'Not for Hire' or other location names sign which is displayed clearly on my vehicle's windshield. I don't blame them for showing anger because the signs may not be visibly understood as I drive past at certain speeds. I know what its like to be ignored when we have been waiting for so long and feeling very frustrated trying to catch a cab. Yes, I know too, because I myself need to catch a cab when I am not on shift and in a hurry to go somewhere urgently.
The problem usually occurs during 'peak hours' when folks are rushing home after work, after dinner or after having done their shopping, its sometimes near impossible even to book for one. These times are normally between 5.30pm to 10.00pm thats why we often see long queues of anxious commuters waiting in vain outside shopping malls' taxi stands, places of interests, clubs and other popular places, such as food centres etc.
The busiest days for taxi drivers are on Fridays and Saturdays, thats when the world comes out to play and taxi drivers will definitely go all out in full force to secure higher earnings from eagerly waiting commuters appearing here, there and everywhere.

The Beginning.

The taxi is a money making machine, but, to operate it, you have to be a taxi driver.You must first of all have a motor vehicle driving licence, after which you can then apply for a Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL) from the LTA (Land Transport Authority).
Upon approval, you will need to pass a full medical examination before you are allowed to proceed to register for a taxi driver's vocational course (fee costs about $230/-) conducted by LTA, and would normally take about six weeks, (three hours daily) to complete. The course being taught, is basically about traffic rules and regulations, roads and landmarks, places of interests including embassies, dos and don'ts, etc. At the end of which, you have to sit for an examination, pass it, before being awarded a taxi driver's licence (fee costs $40/- for 3 years).
Next, you decide what taxi model you like to drive, and which taxi company to join. Having made your choice, you have to deposit $1,000/- (refundable) with whichever company chosen, attend a full day's class to learn how to operate the taxi meter, the company's rules and regulations and so on.
After having gone through the whole process, you have finally become, at last, a full fledged Taxi Driver and can immediately start to operate your money making machine.

...taxi drivers meet regularly at coffee shops to yak, yak, yak......

Gambling and Lotteries! 4D, Toto, Big Sweep, Horse Races, Share Markets, Football betting, two new very attractive Casinos, not mentioning the many hidden illegal gambling dens, my, my, my, what a huge 'conglomerate' of multi-national enterprises. With this booming market of get rich quick outlets, you tell me, how can we even imagine that there will be no citizens' gambling problems at all? 
I mean, with the carefully worded and yet encouraging phrase "Please Gamble Wisely" announced in the media and in all outlets makes us think like, "Well, its okay to play what, only we must be more careful, study harder, do our homework, etc, etc, you never know, we may strike it rich one day, right?". 
We are Singaporeans, most of us belong to the same "kiasu" community and who does not want to be rich? 
Oh yes, last night the huge Five million dollar 'jackpot' Toto draw, must see the results, I bought $10.00 normal 'quick-pick' tickets, so, if you will excuse me, I need to check it out.......who knows.?.........

day in the life of a cabbie.......

An actual account of what I do for a living.

Yesterday, Monday 4th of January, 2010, at 5.10pm, I picked up my first passenger from United Square taxi stand, a young lady who wanted to go to Leonie Hill, my metered fare was $6.70 after that, I drove to Great World City where I picked up another young lady going to Hong Leong Building, her fare was exactly $8.00.

Next, at Shenton Way DBS Building taxi stand, a caucasian man going to Sentosa Cove and his fare was $12.20 from there I drove out to Vivo City taxi stand, time was 7.00pm, sent this lady to Toa Payoh Lor.7 her fare came to $16.00. It was 7.35pm when I queued and waited at Toa Payoh Central taxi stand where I finally drove this young Malay boy to nearby Lor.1 for $3.80 by then it was already 8.05pm. This time, I started cruising slowly towards town and eventually ended up in the queue at Raffles City taxi stand at 8.45pm, imagine, all the way without a single passenger. About 10 minutes later, a Chinese couple boarded my cab to go to Hilton Hotel, fare was $8.30 and thereafter, also from Hilton, a young Indonesian mother with her daughter wanted to go for a ride on the Flyer, their fare was exactly $7.00. I then proceeded to Esplanade Mall taxi stand, time was 9.10pm, I waited till 9.30pm when a young Chinese couple with their two children wished to go to nearby Swisshotel for a fare of $6.00, and immediately after, two middle aged caucasian ladies boarded my cab to go to a Sembawang Road condo after passing Chong Pang area, their metered fare showed $19.60 but this paying lady insisted on giving me $22.00 which I reluctantly accepted. 
It was then about 10pm when I drove towards Mandai Zoo taxi stand to queue, and boy, it was a long, long queue. Anyway, I decided to read my New Paper as I slowly jogged along and finally picked up two European ladies wanting to go to Jalan Besar Road near Petain Road, their fare came to $14.60, it was then that I felt a bit hungry and decided to go to Syed Alwi Road coffee shop to have my dinner, a bowl of prawn mee soup $3.00 and a cup of hot barley drink 80 cts. After eating my meal, I ended up in the long queue at Clarke Quay, it was already 11.50pm when I fetched four young European ladies to Swisshotel for $6.20 and lucky enough for me, after a short wait I ferried this young Chinese girl to Ponggol Central at exactly midnight. Her fare came to $21.90, the time was about 12.30am, I felt quite tired and decided to call it a day. It was a rather unusual day for me as there was'nt much converstions involved throughout my working day. Despite the slowdown in taxi ridership, I still managed a fair but still quite low take home pay, can't complain too much though. 
Thank you for sharing this long journey with your friendly neighbourhood Cabbie and now its time for my cup of "Kopi".

sometimes when rain comes, its simply cool.......

Today was yet another very quiet and slow day and to make things worse, the rain had to come. Whenever rain comes, people tend to stay home rather than go out to socialize or do their favourite things. It is always a nice feeling just staying home and laze, hear the rainfalls, watch TV or just simply catching up on 'lost' sleep by going to bed extra early.

For people like myself, I still need to go to work to earn a bit or at least to earn enough to cover my daily rentals but sometimes the mood to drive is simply not there when the rain comes. Like everyone else, we try to shy away from having to start work immediately by telling ourselves that with this kind of weather there won't be so many people waiting for taxis or think that most people are likely to stay home and therefore business will definitely be slack so just take easy or if we have to move, maybe land ourselves at some nice kopitiam, have coffee, relax and wait for the rain to stop. 
Of course these are lame excuses and to be more truthful we are actually just plain lazy or bored and anyway for those of us who are on the road practically everyday without any off days sometimes for a continuously long stretch of time, we do need a break. So when rain comes, it is such a relief for it is one of our strongest reasons to excuse ourselves.

For me, without fail, the aroma of coffee is most irresistable.

satisfaction..........

Everyday I meet up with total strangers in my cab, we wish and greet each other, say countless thank you's and goodbyes, make short conversations, sometimes even talk and joke as if we were old friends, sometimes we even argue over disagreements, show a bit of anger, maybe get involved in mild quarrels over trifle matters such as, which is a better route to take or travelling speed too fast, too slow, or disputes over fare charges, but generally, we experience normal pleasant encounters with our passengers. The most interesting part and rewarding aspect of a taxi driver is, being able to help in assisting one to locate their destination which happens quite often or recovering and returning their properties left in our taxis. At times, we also try to confide and console, as well as listen to whatever problems and woes that our passengers may have. There are those who are happy and grateful to us for helping out and some even express their gratitudes by offering us rewards or giving us good tips. Indeed, we get a lot of 'job satisfaction' in our profession.

unsavoury under-cover activities......

There are different types of taxi drivers that cruise around everyday in their cabs, but they do not or will not pick up passengers at all. Many commuters are frustrated by their "On Call" or "Busy" signs displayed each time they try to hail a cab. This usually happens during the "Peak" hours between 5pm and 8pm and after that, the "going home" time between 9.30pm and 10.30pm. Why?

You see, there are a number of taxi drivers who make use of their cabs for personal reasons. They use it full time to go around collecting debts, as in "Loan Sharking" activities, which recently made the headlines in our local media, they use it for doing their illegal book-making business which is thriving with 4 days of horse racing every week, they use it for going around everywhere to collect their "Punters" weekly bets on illegal Toto and 4D lotteries covering nearly everyday of the week, and they use it for ferrying only privately arranged "Special" passengers, those who are involved in vice and others, such as hostesses, mostly illegal ones to different night spots all over the island.

Taxi operators are in the dark as to what their drivers are doing so long as daily rentals are paid promptly. They are not so concerned and our local authorities know of such activities going on but it is very difficult for them to apprehend these wayward drivers due to lack of vital information other than catching them red handed in the act. I get to learn from, at the same time, listen to a lot of "Whats happening" during my coffee breaks and daily meals at coffee shops and food centres where most taxi drivers frequent because of free and easy parking facilities and nearby conveniences. There are still many other taxi drivers who make use of their rented taxis for different private purposes, all these errant drivers fortunately belong to a small minority.

No, I don't type my blogs with a lap top in my cab, only on my desk top in the comfort of my home together with my "Ownself Made" cups of coffee.........

who's right, who's wrong..........

Imagine leaving your only child, 15 years of age, who is down with H1N1 to fend for herself, I would definitely not! The parents should have gone for H1N1 innoculation in the first place if they are fearful of being infected by their daughter and stay by her, instead of, I would call it 'abandoning' and running away from their responsibilities. It is like watching your loved one drowning right in front of your eyes and you just watch because you're afraid you might drown too if you try to rescue, unless of course if you are very old and sick or too weak to even try to help, then it's a different story. I feel sad to even think that parents can do such when their child needs them most.

Then again, I come across this common everyday fickle quarrel over small change, in this case over two 5 cent coins at El Ameen Eating House opposite Beauty World, there is totally no give or take attitudes and not even trying to understand or be considerate instead of being arrogant and showing off by paying with a piece of thousand dollar note for a $1.20 packet of tea "Teh Tarik".

In my line of work, I have also been involved, occasionally with small change difficulties. Such as being paid with a $100 piece of note for a small fare of $4 and once $3.20. Passengers have to try to understand that we, taxi drivers are not money-changers and we dare not hold too much cash for security reasons. Therefore, we would most appreciate it if passengers can prepare or be ready with small change for short trips, of course we try to accomodate as much as possible.

now you know what its like

Once in a while I also have to take a cab... to go for my medical check-ups at NUH. The usual fare from where I live to NUH is always around $12 during morning peak hours. On this particular Friday morning, I remembered the fare came up to $17.80, this was because of an unusual massive jam (no accidents, no roadworks and no vehicle breakdowns) which started near Dairy Farm Road, Upp. Bukit Timah Road and along Clementi Road and all the way to NUH. As a paying passenger, I experienced the agony of watching the meter number steadily rising as the taxi slowly crawled all the way to NUH. I guess its only normal to keep peering at the meter going up so fast whilst the taxi is in slow motion. Going to be late for the hospital appointment was yet another concern which made me feel uncomfortable in my seat as well as becoming a watch 'watcher' and imagine, feeling a bit sweaty in an air-conditioned vehicle? getting angry at yourself for 'dili-dallying' and taking things for granted which caused all these predicaments. Your frustrations do not just end there, you still need to tolerate the driver's grumblings and curses, (apart from your own) in the shared environment.

There were other types of incidents that occurred whilst being a paying passenger on board taxis but I seldom tell the taxi drivers that I am also one of them, simply because it is interesting and good to experience and learn of what and how a passenger would feel and respond and be entertained or vice versa. These situations ultimately made me more sensitive and understanding towards those who board my cab.........

Lively encounters

Everytime I fetch mothers with their young children I get to hear famous diciplining phrases like "Uncle is getting angry", "Uncle going to throw you out of the taxi", "Uncle going to scold you already" and even "Uncle going to beat you if you don't stop it"... "Stop it, stop it, look, Uncle is staring at you now". All these threats blurted out by the mothers at their children will, hopefully not, create a 'fear' phobia when they grow up and that might cause taxi drivers to lose future generation of taxi commuters.

One day, I picked up this lady passenger who had her mobile handphone in silent mode. Now, this was what happened... "Hello?, have you had your dinner yet?" she said and I answered "No,not yet, maybe in an hour's time thank you" Imagine how embarrassed I was when I turned around to acknowledge her that I found out she was actually on her handphone asking her boyfriend or husband the question! Next time I better make sure to speak when I am actually the one spoken to. And there was this guy who boarded my cab and sat beside me, looked at me from an angle and then suddenly slapped me on my left shoulder, "Hey, Albert ! Long time no see man! Since when you started driving taxi?" I was a bit shaken and said, "Bro. my name is not Albert, I think you got the wrong person."

"Ah, so sorry, so sorry, but you look like him, not twins hoh?"

"No, I don't have a twin brother" I started laughing... this was a case of positive mistaken identity and anyway, we continued chatting and laughing all the same throughout the journey.

Then I had another passenger who sat behind and throughout the trip he was talking and laughing to himself. I peered at him through the rear mirror and prayed he was not one who flew over the cuckoo's nest and luckily for me he turned out to be a decent guy and even left me a small tip when we reached his destination. It's unbelievable but it keeps my mind alert and looking for more as I drive on.....

Dreams...

We must always dream and hope for the best things to happen to us as we wish it. Most of us would want to be a millionaire or a celebrity, and why not, all we have to do first is to start dreaming and then keep hoping our dreams come true.

It's not impossible, just take a look at this Australian taxi driver, he bought a race horse, named it "Takeover Target" not an expensive thoroughbred, maybe less than AUD$2000, raced it and discovered that he has a champion racehorse. He is now a multi-millionaire, travelling around the globe with his champion earning fantastic stake monies for him. He was in Singapore recently with his race horse competing in Kranji Turf Club and winning lots of stake money. This is an example of what dreams and hope can do. Of course as we dream on, we still need to work to survive the present harshness in our everyday lives. Anything can happen at any time, for instance buying a Big Sweep or a Toto ticket and ending up a winner makes your dreams come true. It is not just dreaming and hoping for glamour or wealth, we must also remember to dream and pray for good health and well being for ourselves and our families for the rest of our lives too. I think I better start dreaming first about purchasing a race horse and hope to have a champion, but in the meantime, I better not stop driving..........